The present invention relates to an antibody that recognizes the structure of a physiologically active polysaccharide, fucoidan, which is useful for the functional study and the structural analysis of fucoidan.
Fucoidan is a polysaccharide that contains sulfated fucose in its molecule. Fucoidan that contains substantially no uronic acid and contains fucose as the main component of its constituting saccharides, and fucoidan that contains uronic acid and contains fucose and mannose as its constituting saccharides are known.
The present inventors prepared fucoidan that contains substantially no uronic acid and contains fucose as the main component of its constituting saccharides, i.e., sulfated-fucose-containing polysaccharide-F (hereinafter referred to as F-fucoidan), and fucoidan that contains uronic acid, i.e., sulfated-fucose-containing polysaccharide-U (hereinafter referred to as U-fucoidan) from Kjellmaniella crassifolia (see WO 97/26896).
Known physiological activities of fucoidan include an apoptosis-inducing activity, an antiproliferation activity against cancer, an activity of inhibiting cancer metastasis, an anticoagulant activity and an antiviral activity. Therefore, it is expected that fucoidan would be developed for medical use. In addition, fucoidan has an excellent function as a material for cosmetics.
Thus, it is desired to further analyze the structure and the physiological functions of fucoidan.
The main object of the present invention is to provide an antibody that specifically recognizes the structure of fucoidan, which antibody is useful for the structural analysis of fucoidan and the investigation of relationship between the structure and the physiological functions.
The present inventors have successfully created cells that produce antibodies that recognize the structure of fucoidan by immunizing a host with fucoidan derived from Kjellmaniella crassifolia as an antigen. Thus, the present invention has been completed.
Accordingly, the present invention provides an anti-fucoidan antibody that recognizes the compound of formula (I) or (II): 
Furthermore, the present invention provides a carrier onto which said anti-fucoidan antibody is immobilized.